Message from the President
President’s Message — The Bank That Listens to All
Partners Bank has been firing on all cylinders for the past few months. In addition to the recent announcement of my retirement and promotions of Anthony Cataldi and Karyn Scharf-Morin, our determination to better the communities of Southern Maine and Seacoast New Hampshire has been on overdrive.
We have been happily busy making sizeable donations to beloved and vital organizations in our community, aiding their missions of improving all varieties of life in our community. We may have been busy, but we’re not too busy to give back to those in need.
National Pet Month in May
The first set of lives we positively affected were domesticated and wild animals in the region. May was National Pet Month, and all 11 Partners Bank branches came together to donate $30,000 to animal rescues in Maine and New Hampshire.
Our original announcement is in this blog post and lists all the recipients of the National Pet Month donations.
Celebrating National Pet Month by donating to animal rescues was very meaningful to everyone at Partners Bank. Our employees and customers cherish their relationships with their pets and know that the community does too. After all, they are members of our families.
From organizations that rehabilitate wild animals, equine rescues that save horses from slaughter, pet food pantries that offer free food, to dog and cat rescues that provide medical care—we partnered with these organizations because of their kindness and dedication to caring for these wounded, abandoned, and neglected creatures.
The Market Managers in each of our branches personally dropped off a donation check at every organization chosen, learned more about their mission, and met some of the volunteers that run them.
Seacoast Science Center’s Music by the Sea
Our Rye branch has partnered closely with Seacoast Science Center since the branch’s opening in 2019. Of course, we had to continue our partnership by being a Presenting Sponsor of their annual summer concert series, Music by the Sea.
All proceeds, including our donation of $5,000, benefit the Center’s education and conservation programs for our marine friends.
Unfortunately, it’s easy to develop an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality with the ocean. Most of us aren’t regularly exposed to aquatic animals, so we can be unaware of the happenings of life underwater. However, considering that a big chunk of Southern Maine and Seacoast New Hampshire’s economy is reliant on the ocean and the fact that the health of the ocean affects everyone on earth, it is our duty to care for it. Partners Bank is doing just that by supporting the Seacoast Science Center’s mission.
Ogunquit Museum of American Art’s “Henry Strater’s Ogunquit” Exhibit
Another organization in a seacoast town received the support of Partners Bank. We donated $10,000 to the Ogunquit Museum of American Art (OMAA) to support their newest exhibit, “Henry Strater’s Ogunquit.”
The harborside town wouldn’t be what it is today without its rich history of artists, including Henry Strater. He founded OMAA, which has been showcasing the creations of local artists since 1953.
You can’t think about Ogunquit without thinking about art, and we’d like to keep it that way. That’s why our partnership with OMAA has been strong for several years. As The Bank That Listens, if it’s important to our community, then it’s important to Partners Bank. With this donation, we’re ensuring that art stays alive in Ogunquit while honoring Strater, a prominent artist and influence of the town.
Sanford Mainers & Boomer’s Bookworms
As an avid sports fan myself, it brings me great joy that Partners Bank is the Presenting Sponsor of the Sanford Mainers. The team consists of not only the talented, young men on the field, but also the interns aiming to advance in their careers in broadcasting, marketing, sports management, video production, and beyond.
The Bank is happy to help all these young adults on their journey to success by donating $10,000 to the team.
The Mainers are also very involved in the development of young children through their baseball-based literacy program, Boomer’s Bookworms.
Partners Bank donated $3,500 to the program, which helped Boomer’s Bookworms visit nine schools in four districts and reach 3,700 children in grades K-8. The program strengthens reading skills, which is important for children to advance at a young age. By donating to the Sanford Mainers and Boomer’s Bookworms, Partners Bank is investing in the future of the Sanford community.
Touching Lives
Simply put, Partners Bank cares. We care about the lives of everyone in our community—artists, children, young adults, fish, mammals, birds, and so on. We want to watch all prosper and live healthy, successful lives.
That is the motivation behind all we do. That is the reason why we give back to these local organizations. That is why we are The Bank That Listens.
Sincerely,
Blaine Boudreau